Canada-born Brandon Royal is an alumnus of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business and a certified public accountant. As managing director of Royal Publications in Hong Kong, he specialises in education consultancy, corporate training and independent authorship.
He describes himself as 'an accountant by training, an anthropologist by disposition, a writer by choosing and a bar patron by necessity'.
He is a regular speaker for the American Chamber of Commerce, and has contributed to various TV programmes and publications, including the South China Morning Post, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Fortune (China) magazines, and CNBC's Smart Money programme. He is also co-author with Paul Strahan of a novel scheduled to be published this week, Bars Of Steel, a tale of an innocent young girl from the Philippines who becomes embroiled in the Wan Chai bar scene. Age: 39
Height: 1.77 metres Weight: 88kg (should be 83kg)
Do you work out? Absolutely. I've been active in sports from an early age, playing ice hockey from the age of five and tennis from the age of 13 (I also played National Junior Tennis in Canada). Mind you, I really don't find time for sports at the moment. Instead, I go to the gym, hike and run. Where? California Gym in Central. When? Lunch times, early evening but rarely in the morning. How many times a week? Three times a week at the gym. Three times a week I hike to the Peak via Hatton Road and/or jog along Bowen Road. Favourite exercise or regimen? In the gym I do Body Pump and sometimes Power Step. I like the group classes because it's easy to motivate yourself. Diet - are you a healthy eater? Fair but not great. Alcohol - do you indulge? Sometimes too much, and I usually drink beer. Was told a long time ago that 'alcohol is the occupational hazard of writers'. But at least they warned me. Do you smoke? No, never 'learned', and therefore never developed a habit. But I don't mind others smoking.
What time's bedtime? Usually 12.30am. Ever had cosmetic surgery? No, I don't believe in it. We wouldn't think of reconstructing a national park so why would we (for non-medical reasons) degrade our own natural? Favourite sport? I really don't mind any sporting event when there's a crowd and zealots backing a team or player (and beer!). I always watch a Major golf championship that's close on the final day. Health tip: Try not to eat or snack after 8pm.
